McCain-Gate
This is a John le Carré story brought to the screen by Mel Brooks, along the lines of Tinker, Tailor, Sailor, Schmuck.
As a former Naval officer who was tortured while being held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, John McCain opposes any American use of torture. To ensure that all questionable practices are stopped he has added an amendment to an appropriations bill which received 90% support in the Senate.
In a reflexive reaction to anything that looks like Congressional oversight, the White House has threaten to veto the bill and Cheney has tried to get an exemption for the CIA to torture people even though Bush says we aren’t doing it and have never authorized anyone to do it.
Cheney comes down and has a chat with Republicans Senators to convince them that they must exempt the CIA to permit them to use the methods that we aren’t using.
This meeting is followed by an article in The Washington Post about the existence of secret prisons in Eastern European countries, countries like Poland and Romania, where methods we are reassured are not being used might have occurred.
[At this point there is a break during which Moe hits Larry on the head with a hammer after Curly dumped the can of paint on Moe’s head when he is startled by Harpo’s horn.]
Having slept for two years and showing no interest in how wars might have started, the dynamic duo of “Dennis the Demented” Hastert and “Barney” Frist leap into action, demanding an immediate joint investigation of the leak to The Washington Post, but Trent Lott slides up to a microphone, arches his eyebrows several times, removes his cigar and says it was a Republican in the conference room with a Cheney. Pandemonium ensues until the janitor waddles on to the stage in his derby and sweeps up the rubber chickens and feathers.
On a serious note, Atrios wonders if John McCain was lying in an interview on this matter. McCain is a former Naval officer and knows the rules on classified information: even if it is reported in open sources you do not confirm or deny classified information. McCain knows he has made himself a target by his amendment, and doesn’t intend to give them a bigger target.
I would hazard a guess that someone thought that McCain talked to the Post and emerged from his burrow long enough to scare Lou and Bud, excuse me, Hastert and Frist to launch the investigation.
[credits: Clif, John McKay, Jack K., and Laura Rosen]
